Mum and children killed in Northern Ireland shooting named

A mother and two children killed in a suspected triple murder and attempted suicide in County Fermanagh have been named by police as Vanessa Whyte, her son James Rutledge and daughter Sara Rutledge.

They died after being shot at a house in Drummeer Road in Maguiresbridge on Wednesday.

Vanessa, a veterinary surgeon, was 45, James was 14 and Sara was 13, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said.

A man - who is a member of the same household - is being treated for serious gunshot injuries at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Two of the victims were declared dead at the scene on Wednesday morning and a third died later in hospital.

The shooting happened in a rural area about 75 miles west of Belfast and about eight miles from the county's largest town, Enniskillen.

Police said no arrests had been made "it is not anticipated that they will be made".

Police said the investigation was at an early stage, but a suspected triple murder and attempted suicide was one line of inquiry for detectives.

Enniskillen Royal Grammar School said it was mourning "the loss of two vibrant and much valued pupils".

"I know that our school community will hold each other close in this time of loss," principal Elizabeth Armstrong said in a statement.

The school said the children's father was seriously ill in hospital in Belfast.

Police appealed for anyone who had spoken to Ms Whyte or her children in the past few weeks to contact them.

"If you are someone that Vanessa, Sara or James may have confided in, please come and speak to us," Det Ch Insp Neil McGuinness said.

"Any information, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem could prove crucial to our investigation."

The area's MP said the children were "part of the fabric of the community".

"Two wee children have lost their lives and a mummy, when they just should be enjoying the school holidays and having a wonderful time," Pat Cullen told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

Cullen said the community was "absolutely heartbroken".

"They were really part of the community, part of the fabric of the community and how sadly they will all be missed by their wee friends and of course their mother will be sadly missed by this community as well," the Sinn Féin MP said.

She said people should not speculate about what had happened.

"Let's deal with the facts when they come out and when those facts are made known, then we can have conversations, but until then, it is really important with respect for the family, the wider community and the emergency services that we don't speculate," Cullen said.

Ulster Unionist peer Lord Elliott said the incident was devastating.

"The family is so local and because the wider family is so well known, it's just devastating, people are really finding it difficult to get their head around this and that this actually happened," he said.

Gardaí (Irish police) said they were working with the PSNI.

"A Garda family liaison has been appointed to the family of the deceased," it added.

Fermanagh Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has offered its "heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those impacted" by the incident.

The three family members who died were each members of two GAA clubs in County Fermanagh.

St Mary's Maguiresbridge Gaelic Football Club and St Patrick's Hurling Club Lisbellaw described them as "active and beloved" members of their organisations.

Both clubs said they would "work closely with all appropriate services to ensure that those who require support at this difficult time can access it".

Enniskillen Cricket Club said it was "extremely saddened" by the events in Maguiresbridge.

Both children played cricket at school, the club said.

"Both of them turned out to be talented young cricketers and two absolutely lovely natured children," the club said.

"In what is a hard time for our small community, we would ask everyone to pull together and support each other through these difficult times."

Speaking to BBC News NI the Reverend Lindsey Farrell, of Maguiresbridge Christ Church, said the community was devastated.

"We're numb, everyone is in shock, but this is a strong community here in Maguiresbridge and we stand united, we stand together in support of this family and of all who have been impacted by this and we are keeping them all in our prayers," she said.

"We think also today of the emergency services and their colleagues and all they have had to face over the last 24 hours and indeed what lies ahead as well."

Northern Ireland's leaders released a joint statement on Wednesday night, thanking the emergency services who responded to the shooting.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said they were "deeply saddened" by what had happened.